For years, businesses were taught to believe one thing:
Post on social media → get engagement → get sales.
And for a while, that was true.
But today, many business leaders I talk to feel frustrated because they’re doing “all the right things” on social media. Posting consistently, showing up on video, following trends, and yet sales haven’t increased the way they expected. They’re disappointed and hesitant to try something new, afraid it will waste even more time and resources.
Here’s the truth that brings clarity to the situation:
Social media didn’t stop working.
It changed jobs — and most businesses haven’t updated their expectations.
The Old Job of Social Media
Social media used to function like a digital billboard and a checkout lane at the same time. Organic reach was high, competition was low, and people were more trusting.
You could:
- post an offer
- drop a link
- get clicks
- get sales
Those days are over. Not because you did something wrong, but because the platforms changed.
The New Job of Social Media
Today, social media is no longer a conversion engine.
With the exception of impulse purchases under $100 (my secret addiction is buying the latest kitchen gadget while scrolling TikTok at 5 a.m.), social platforms don’t convert directly to sales the way they used to. Especially for service-based businesses.
Social media is now a visibility and trust engine.
Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok are designed to keep people scrolling, not clicking away. They reward content that keeps attention, not content that sends users to your website.
So social media now does something different (and still very valuable):
It introduces your brand, builds familiarity, and creates trust, so people feel confident taking the next step elsewhere.
That next step is usually:
- Googling your business
- Visiting your website
- Reading reviews
- Asking for referrals
- Then reaching out
Most people have seen you or researched you before they ever make direct contact.
Social media starts the buying process. It doesn’t finish it.
Why This Matters for Service-Based and B2B Businesses
If you sell services, professional expertise, or high-value, long-term solutions, your audience is not making impulse decisions. They’re making thinking decisions.
They need:
- clarity
- credibility
- repetition
- proof
- education
- time
And no one makes those decisions in a scroll.
This is why social media works beautifully for retail and products, but feels inconsistent for service-based businesses. The problem isn’t social media. The problem is expecting it to do the wrong job.
What Smart Businesses Do Now
The businesses seeing consistent growth have updated their system.
They use social media to:
- build familiarity
- teach simple ideas
- reinforce expertise
- repeat key messages
- stay visible
- support referrals
- stay top-of-mind
And they use other channels to convert:
- a clear website
- strong messaging
- search visibility
- email follow-up
- proof and case studies
- sales conversations
Social media becomes the front door — not the cash register.
What Still Works on Social (and What Doesn’t)
Doesn’t work like it used to:
- constant offers
- link dumping
- hard selling
- one-off promotions
- chasing trends with no strategy
- expecting likes to equal leads
Still works:
- educational posts
- behind-the-scenes explanations
- client stories
- clear opinions
- simple frameworks
- repeated messaging
- short teaching videos
authority-based content
How to Measure Social Success Correctly Now
If you’re still measuring success by likes and followers, you’ll always feel disappointed.
The new success signals are:
- better quality leads
- shorter sales cycles
- prospects who already “get it”
- people using your language
- referrals increasing
- clients saying, “I’ve been seeing you everywhere”
- fewer price objections
- more confident buyers
That’s social media doing its job — just not the job it had in 2015.
Bottom Line
Social media didn’t stop working. It changed jobs.
When you stop expecting it to close sales and start using it to build trust, clarity, and visibility, it becomes powerful again — especially when it’s part of a larger system.
And that’s when marketing stops feeling like noise and starts creating momentum.
If you need some guidance on social media marketing and understanding what is currently working and how to measure your social media success, Let’s connect. Here’s a link to my personal calendar.